Orwell

            
             George Orwell's classic essay "Shooting an Elephant" has a few conclusions you can draw from it. Specifically two main conclusions that show the meaning of this essay, the elephant is the oppressor and the elephant is being oppressed. Also I will share my own anecdote that relates to this situation.
             Orwell uses this essay to show his hatred of imperialism, but also how he hates the people of Burma. One interpretation of the story is that the elephant is the oppressor. The elephant is the symbol of Britain. It goes around and destroys the village and kills the people and basically rules the Burma people while it is on the loose. Orwell in this case represents the people, who are all following him, expecting him to kill the animal. Even though Orwell takes out the elephant the villagers still take cover. This represents that even though there are little rebellions in the country which try to take out the British the majority of the people run away so it never dies. Even though the British are mortally wounded and have no power, because the people refuse to take the power the British stay in charge.
             This also shows that imperialism is dying. As we know today, it does die, however, at the time most people thought it would last forever, but when the villagers came back to watch the elephant die it symbolically took the power away from the British. .
             There is also a theme that the elephant is being oppressed and he is like the people. The elephant is disrupting the British world by destroying their entire infrastructure and makes the British looks bad. The elephant also embarrasses the British by forcing them to shoot the elephant. It shows that the British do not have total control over the people and that they can influence them. .
             Also the elephant is like the villagers. The British do not want to kill the people. It would be in the British best interest to keep them alive and just keep them at bay.